LL-L "History" 2009.01.25 (04) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 25 January 2009 - Volume 04
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From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "History"

Beste Mike,

You wrote:



So, the essential part of what ron said is perfectly true: teh AVERAGE East
German had NO uncontrolled contact whatsoever with the outside world ...
even in the Warsaw Pact countries (controlled contact was more common, yet
still limited ... unless you count watching old Soviet movies on TV!)

I found the rules that applied to East-Germans wanting to travel abroad end
of 1988, 1989:



http://www.verfassungen.de/de/ddr/reiseverkehr88.htm



Paragraph 6 leaves some freedom. Some.



"Funny" to read about wedding anniversaries in paragraph 7. Some "couleur
locale" as well, given the attention for a first communion. I would not
immediately have expected this in a diehard communist state.



Kind greetings,



Luc Hellinckx


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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: History

Hey, Luc! What's going on, bud?

Thanks for that link.

All that stuff looks "nice" in theory. But look at paragraphs 14 and 15
which essentially say that exit visa applications "may" be refused "if this
is necessary for the protection of public order or other state interests of
the German Democratic Republic" (my translation). As far as I am aware, this
conveniently vague statement served as a catch-all provision for denial. In
fact, the vast majority of citizens had a snowball's chance in hell to get
an exit visa to travel to any country other than Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,
Hungary, Mongolia, North Korea, Romania and the USSR, similarly guarded
countries with which there were mutual extradition agreements. And even that
was a long shot if there were no "real" purpose and travel "companions".
People knew this full well and few that were not retired (and were thus
dispensable) would even bother applying, not only because it was a waste of
time but also because it would have put them on the state's (Stasi's) sh*t
list, which meant that their careers and social lives were pretty much over,
and it would have affected the lives of their relatives and possibly friends
as well. Many if not most East German citizens had relatives in Western
Germany and other countries with whom they could have gotten together in any
country (including the ones mentioned above). That in itself was considered
a threat to the interests of the state, leave alone not returning home. And
there was the blanket exclusion of a sizable population section from
*any*official right to leave the country: "Permission can be refused
if the
applicant has yet to rendered active military service [...] and has not yet
completed his 26th year [...]" (my translation). A few of them would leave
as members of closely guarded sports teams or performance troupes.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

•

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